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Cavs face fierce foe in No. 10 Yellow Jackets

The Virginia baseball team will hope to build upon its two-game winning streak when the Cavaliers open a three-game series on the road against No. 10 Georgia Tech.

After losing to UNC-Greensboro last Saturday to drop below .500 for the first time this season, the Cavaliers rebounded to crush George Mason, 14-5, on Monday and edge Liberty by a score of 5-3 on Tuesday.

"I'm encouraged by what I saw [against Liberty] and what I saw" against George Mason, Virginia coach Dennis Womack said. "I think it's a difficult test to play [Georgia Tech] anywhere."

Virginia (22-21, 7-8 ACC) continues to be led by senior third baseman/pitcher Dan Street. Street has a team-high .391 average, 11 homers and 46 RBIs. Freshman shortstop Mark Reynolds has come on of late, hitting two homers Monday afternoon, including a grand slam.

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  • On the mound, sophomore pitcher Jeff Kamrath remains Virginia's top starter with a 5-3 record and an ERA of 2.57. Sophomores Joe Koshansky and Canon Hickman are the other probable starters against the Yellow Jackets.

    "We'll have Canon and Joe Koshansky out there," Street said. "We'll put good pitching on them."

    Georgia Tech (32-8, 8-6) will look to regain its form in ACC play after getting swept last weekend by Florida State. The Yellow Jackets came into the series ranked fifth in the country but were unable to win despite racking up 41 hits.

    Standout freshman outfielder Jeremy Slayden has led the Jackets at the plate, blasting 13 homers with 40 RBIs. Junior catcher Tyler Parker, a preseason All-American the last two years, leads the team with 41 RBIs.

    Hickman said he is not intimidated, however, and will approach Georgia Tech the same way he approached Liberty.

    Liberty's players "are really good hitters," Hickman said. "They were hitting .340 as a team, so we can beat anybody."

    Georgia Tech has not lost at Russ Chandler Stadium this year, winning all 22 games played there.

    "It'll be tough but every week in the ACC is tough and that's what you expect," Womack said. "But we're prepared, it's just a matter of going down there and playing well."

    The Jackets are led on the mound by sophomore ace Kyle Bakker and his impressive 9-1 record and 2.90 ERA. Bakker has also struck out 76 batters in 80 and two-thirds innings.

    "It'll be tough, they're going to have a good crowd," Street said. "We have to play as well as we can, we're going to have to play better than we did against Liberty"

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